


The New Kid

by professorrjlupin



Series: auctober 2020 [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Amortentia, M/M, Pining, Will POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:13:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26960452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/professorrjlupin/pseuds/professorrjlupin
Summary: auctober day 11: wizarding schoolThere's a new kid at Hogwarts, and Will is going to do everything in his power to be his friend.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Series: auctober 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977037
Comments: 8
Kudos: 105
Collections: Solangelo Auctober 2020





	The New Kid

**Author's Note:**

> hmu with better title ideas in the comments please

There’s a new kid in Hogwarts, and Will needs to find out who it is. 

Hogwarts never gets new students. Will knows that as a fact: only five percent of wizard children are homeschooled and none of them ever come to Hogwarts. So who is this new person? 

Will watches from the Ravenclaw table on the first day of his sixth year, paying close attention to the new kid as he waits in line with the first years to be sorted. He’s obviously at least sixteen, but stands only a head above the tallest eleven year old. His hair is long and black, covering the side of his face so Will has to lean over into Cecil’s seat to get a better look. 

“Get off of me,” Cecil loudly whispers to him. It’s difficult to hear over the Slytherin cheers as a new first year arrives, but Will is almost sitting in his lap. “I swear, what are you even looking at?” 

“You don’t see the new kid?” Will asked, gesturing towards the boy as the line moves up. It looks like he’s fiddling with something on his hand. A ring? That’s interesting. Will prays to whoever would be listening that this new kid is sorted into Ravenclaw. After six years, Hogwarts has become so  _ boring.  _ Will loved his friends, of course, but even they agreed their lives needed some spice. A new face in their house would do the trick. 

“Di Angelo!” The headmaster calls, and the new kid begins his walk across the Great Hall. If anyone overlooked him before, they notice him now. Di Angelo keeps his expression carefully neutral. Will presses himself against the table to get a better look. Now that he can see his face, Will can’t look away. 

Di Angelo’s head quickly disappears under the Sorting Hat. Will never cared much for this part of the feast, but for the first time since his first year, he’s in rapt attention. He clasps his hands together and ignores Cecil’s judgemental snort.  _ Please be Ravenclaw, please be Ravenclaw.  _

“Gryffindor!” 

“No!” Will says to himself, leaning back in his chair, dejected. Gryffindor cheers the loudest they have all night, ecstatic with their win of the new kid. Cecil is snickering. 

“Looks like you lost your new boy,” he says. Will frowns, before remembering something. 

“We have potions with the Gryffindors,” he replies, energy soon returning. “I can still win him over.” 

“You’re going to ditch me that quickly?” Cecil says with mock pain. Will rolls his eyes. 

Di Angelo sat tentatively at the end of the table, away from most of his house. “He still needs friends,” Will says to Cecil while watching. “Being the new kid must be hard.” He turned his gaze from Di Angelo to face his friend. “I’ll be his friend.” 

“Okay, good luck with that.” 

Will smiled. “Thanks, Cecil.” 

  
  
  


There’s a new kid at Hogwarts, and Will is going to be his friend. 

Just like always, the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws had potions together. That meant that Will and Di Angelo (he should really learn his first name) would have at least one class together. The night before, after the feast, Will spent his time before falling asleep practicing what he would say in his head. 

_ Hi, I’m Will! Nice to meet you, what’s your name?  _ A good, solid introduction, but was it too basic?  _ Hey, I’m Will, want to be potions partners?  _ It got straight to the point, but was that too forward? What if Di Angelo already had someone in Gryffindor he wanted to be partners with? That thought ran around in Will’s head until he remembered that people from the same houses are never paired together. At least he stood a chance. 

Will waited by the door to the dungeons with Cecil and Lou Ellen, their friend from Gryffindor. Lou Ellen already admitted to never noticing di Angelo, so she wasn’t any help for Will’s plan. He watched, absentmindedly listening to Cecil and Lou Ellen’s conversation, scanning every passerby for that dark hair. 

Right before the bell rang and Will was about to give up hope, Di Angelo appeared. He turned the corner in a hurry, face to the ground. Will light up like a puppy. 

“Hey!” He called. He ignored Cecil’s quick laugh at him and Lou Ellen’s footsteps running away. “Are you the new kid?” 

Di Angelo stopped in his tracks. Will had probably scared the poor kid. Heat quickly rushed to his ears, but he tried to maintain his smile anyway. “Yes?” Di Angelo said. What accent was that? Italian? In trying to decipher it, Will forgot what he had planned to say. Di Angelo gave him a (definitely warranted) strange look. 

“Is this the potions dungeons?” he asked. Yep, definitely an Italian accent. Will snapped out of his trance to answer. 

“Yes, yes it is. I’m Will, by the way. Would you like to be potions partners?” 

Di Angelo blinked. Will fought the urge to slap himself in the face. “Do you have partners in this class?” 

“Yeah, we do. Gryffindors are partnered with Ravenclaws, and I’m a Ravenclaw and I noticed yesterday you got sorted into Gryffindor…” Will stopped himself. He didn't want to start rambling in front of the new kid. Di Angelo probably thought he was weird already, he didn't need to push it. 

"Okay," di Angelo said. Will gave him a smile as he nodded. 

"Great! Right this way. What's your name, by the way?" 

"Nico," he answered.  _ Nico di Angelo.  _ The completed name floated through Will's head.  _ Finally, a name to the face.  _

"Hi Nico, I'm Will." 

Nico smiled- a small uptick of his lips. "I know." Only then did Will remember he had already introduced himself. He shook his head, heat now moving from his ears to his face, as he stuck his hand out for a shake. 

"Welcome to Hogwarts." 

"Thank you." 

Will opened the door to the potions room for him, leading Nico inside. Class had already started, so either way they were forced to partner together. Nico sat silently, ignorant to the kissy faces Lou Ellen was making at Will. (Really, everything had to be romantic with her.) Will had heard Professor Chiron's beginning of year speech five times before, so instead of throwing things at Lou Ellen (he didn't want to make a bad first impression), he turned his attention to Nico. 

Will tapped him on the shoulder. "Where are you from?" Nico looked at him, then back at the professor, silently asking if it was okay to talk. "Oh, Professor Chiron never says anything important during the first class. Where are you from?" 

"I'm a transfer from Beauxbatons, but I'm from Italy," he answered with a shrug. So  _ that's  _ where the accent was from! Will gave him another smile. 

"That's  _ so  _ cool. I've never even left England- except for school, of course. What made you transfer?" 

"I needed a change," was all he said before turning his attention back to the professor. Will got the feeling this was something he wouldn't talk about. 

After class, Nico left without saying more than a goodbye. Will would have been glad to take him to his next class, but he was quickly swarmed by Lou Ellen and Cecil and wasn't able to catch Nico before he dipped away. 

"What's he like?" Lou Ellen asked, wiggling her eyebrows. 

"He's- he's like everybody else? I don't know what you're asking," Will floundered. 

"Well, is he actually going to be your friend, or did you scare him off, Will?" Cecil added. 

Will frowned. "Of course we’re going to be friends, I’ll promise you that.” 

  
  
  


There’s a new kid at Hogwarts, and he’s actually really cool. 

By the end of September, Nico (no longer just di Angelo) began warming up to Will. Cecil didn’t believe him when Will told him so, but really, they have broken the ice. Though they never talked much outside of potions, Will found himself waiting eagerly everyday for what used to be his least favorite class. Now the Hogsmeade trip was coming up, and Will had a plan. 

Will got to class early, like he always did, and waited for Nico with Cecil and Lou Ellen. Hopefully, if they all asked as a group, Nico would say yes. Or it would just overwhelm and fluster him and he’ll be pressured into saying yes… Will is  _ really  _ overthinking this, but what else is there to do?

Nico finally appeared seconds before the bell rang and Professor Chiron urged everyone to their seats. “Hey,” he said, noticing the group. His hair was a bit windswept from running, and Will had the strange desire to fix it. (Was his hair soft? It looked soft. That’s a stupid thought.) “What’s going on?” 

Will sat down next to Nico and threw his arms over the desk. “So there’s a Hogsmeade trip this weekend…” 

Nico tilted his head, confused. “What’s Hogsmeade?” 

Cecil leaned back, tipping his chair so that he could intrude on their conversation. “Haven’t heard? It’s the city outside the grounds, lots of cool shops ‘n shit.” Will felt a flare of jealousy in his chest at Cecil’s sudden interest. He stomped it down and distracted himself with twirling his pen. 

“Oh, that’s cool,” Nico said to Cecil. 

“Do you want to come with us?” Will asked. “Cecil, Lou Ellen, and I always go as a group. You’re part of our group now, so you should come with. Do you want to?” 

Nico paused, then smiled. Will noticed Nico never gave full smiles, just little upticks of his red lips like this one. But each time he saw it, Will felt his ears get hot at that exact moment. Nico just had a contagious smile, that’s all. “I would love to-” 

“Great!” Will said a bit too loudly, attracting attention from Professor Chiron. He couldn’t find himself to be embarrassed, though. Nico was coming with him to Hogsmeade! 

The rest of the week took its sweet time passing by. It felt like a whole year until Saturday finally rolled around, bringing with it Nico in something other than school robes for a change. Will almost forgot how to breathe when he saw Nico that day- dressed in black jeans, a Gryffindor jumper, a dark turtleneck creeping up above, and a low ponytail exposing his high cheekbones for the first time, Will suddenly felt underdressed. He might have been wearing almost the exact same outfit (blue jeans, Ravenclaw jumper, grey flannel over it), but something about Nico made his heart beat faster in embarrassment. 

“Nico!” he called when they made eye contact. “You look… wow, you look really great.” 

“Uh, thanks? We’re supposed to be wearing casual clothes, right?” 

“Yes, we are, and you’re dressed perfectly, Nico. Really great.” Will rubbed the back of his neck, halting himself before he can ask  _ why don’t you pull your hair back more often? You’re so damn beautiful when your hair isn’t covering your face.  _ Thankfully, Lou Ellen and Cecil showed up right then. Cecil immediately launched into a rant about how cold it was, while Lou Ellen bumped his shoulder. 

“Yeah?” Will said.    
  
“Someone’s flustered,” she stated, wiggling her eyebrows. Will rolled his eyes. 

“I am not.” 

“Really? Okay.” The group began walking, and Will almost believed Lou Ellen had left him alone. Until she spoke again. “Nico looks really great today,” she whispered close to him. Nico was still listening to Cecil so he didn’t notice Will turn bright red. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“I think you know exactly what it means.” Lou Ellen smirked, and Will couldn’t find it in himself to say anything back. 

“You know, Lou, not everyone has a crush on someone.” 

“That’s true,” she said, “but not everyone is as oblivious as you.” 

Will rolled his eyes so far back they might have gotten stuck if Cecil didn’t smack him upside the head. “Hey, are you listening? I asked you a question,” he was saying. 

After a twenty minute walk through the grounds, the group approached the front gates of Hogsmeade. Will immediately made a grab for Nico’s hand. “We’re here!” he said, pointing at the big sign above them. “Okay, first we’re going to the Three Broomsticks to get butterbeers. Have you ever tried a butterbeer?”    
  
“I’m Italian, not uncultured, Will.” Will laughed loudly at that, maybe a bit more than the joke warranted. 

“Okay, what do you want to do?” 

“I’ll follow wherever you take me,” Nico answered, looking up at Will into his eyes. In this position, Will could observe for the first time the exact color of his eyes. They were so dark you almost couldn’t distinguish between his pupils and the iris. They reflected light like a mirror, so Will could watch his own face heating up from Nico’s perspective. He quickly turned away to find Cecil and Lou Ellen far in front of them. 

“Hey Nico!  _ Nico!”  _ someone called from behind them. They turned around to find two people waving frantically. 

“Oh, hey!” Nico said. “Will, this is Hazel, my cousin, and Jason.” Will hadn’t met either of them, with Jason appearing to be a Gryffindor a year ahead of them and Hazel a Hufflepuff a year behind, but he smiled and shook their hands anyway. 

“We were looking for you the whole time,” Hazel said, bouncing on her feet from the chill. “Where were you?” 

“I was with Will…” Nico answered, looking towards him. Will suddenly felt the spotlight on him. It was too warm. Hazel looked amused. He didn’t want to think about what that meant. 

“We were going to the Three Broomsticks, want to come?” Will proposed with a shrug and a smile. Cecil and Lou Ellen were long gone by now, but at least he could get to know Nico’s other friends.  _ (Nico’s other friends.  _ Why did that sentence give Will that familiar pang of jealousy again? Nico can have other friends. Hell,  _ Will  _ had other friends. So why did he feel this way?) 

Hazel was saying something now, some joke about Jason and his bad lady skills. Nico gave a small laugh in return, and all the jealousy (no, it couldn’t have been jealousy, Will isn’t the jealous type) melted away. 

  
  
  


There’s a new kid at Hogwarts, and he makes Will’s heart melt. 

Will never expected it to be like this. Really, he had no intention of pining in the bathroom of the Three Broomsticks on a Hogsmeade trip, a dumb smile on his face. But sometimes, the new Italian boy in your year sticks out to you, and you do everything in your power to get his attention, and when you finally have it it ignites a fire inside of you that you never want to share. That’s the kind of feeling Will is facing right now. It’s shaking up his insides. 

Will has no clue what he’s going to do. 

He eventually leaves the bathroom after splashing some water on his face (the fire does not go out), and after a walk through Hogsmeade (Will strategically grabs Nico’s hand four different types, each for absolute necessity), they head back to the castle. Will finally finds Lou Ellen and Cecil, who had so rudely abandoned him, and falls into step with them. Nico is still there, thankfully. He’s a bit surprised when he tries to pat his shoulder. 

“Hey,” Nico says softly. “Thanks for inviting me.” His eyes are soft and inviting. His lips are red from the chill. Will tries (and fails) not to look. 

“Oh, it was no problem. I had a really great time with you.” 

“Me, too,” Nico replies with a smile. It’s a different one this time. Instead of just the uptick, his eyes scrunch up a bit he gives a lopsided smile. It’s pretty adorable. Will fights the urge to fan himself. 

“I’ll see you at Potions?” he says as they enter the castle. 

“I’ll see you,” Nico says, bowing his head to hide his face. Will never realized he does that until now. It’s a nice habit. 

As the houses part ways, Lou Ellen grabs his elbow harshly in the midst of the crowd.  _ “I told you so,”  _ she whispers. 

“You might’ve,” he answers, smiling at her. “You really might’ve.” 

  
  
  


There’s a new kid at Hogwarts, and Will might be in love with him. 

It’s March and, as per usual, Professor Chiron is teaching amortentia, the love potion. With Nico’s help, he had finally gotten the recipe down, and now only had to stir the cauldron until it turned the right shade of light pink. It smelled delicious, as he had expected: like tangerines and his mother’s pecan pie. What had him so tense, what had him keeping his eyes firm on anything but Nico’s presence, was the strong scent of black coffee, like the kind Nico always brings into class, rising from his cauldron. There was also mint chocolate in there, Nico’s favorite kind. Will  _ despised  _ mint chocolate, but in the amortentia (and also because it was Nico) he couldn’t help but relax into it. 

“You look upset,” Nico said from his side of the table. “You haven’t said anything all class.” 

Will shrugged. “Sorry, I’m just distracted.” 

“Don’t apologize.” Nico reassured him with a smile. Those smiles had become more common these days, and Will had to push his gaze back to his cauldron before he was caught blushing again. “Don’t do that.” 

“What?” 

“You won’t look at me, Will. Why?” Nico stopped stirring his cauldron, which would ruin the whole recipe, but Will didn’t have the energy to mention that. He placed a hand on his hip, stern and upset. 

Will sighed. He didn’t want to lie, but the truth would kill him. “My amortentia,” he started, “it smells like home. I’m just a bit homesick, is all.” He faked a smile. “Watch your potion or it’ll go flat.” Nico didn’t look any more relieved by Will’s explanation, but began stirring again anyway. To lighten the mood, he said, “What does yours smell like?” 

Nico said it so casually, without even looking towards him, Will couldn’t process it. 

“It smells like you.” 

All the blood in Will’s body sprinted for his face. He might have fainted if he didn’t have the table to lean on. “What?” 

“I said,” Nico put his ladle down to look at Will fully. “My amortentia smells like you.” 

A smile itched across Will’s face. “You’re kidding.” 

“No, Will, I’m completely-” 

The smile grew wider until a grin took over his whole face. “No, you have to be lying.” 

Nico paused, taking in the blushing, floundering mess that was Will Solace at the moment. “Do you want me to be lying?” he asked, a tentative smile rising to match. 

“No! No, absolutely  _ not-”  _ he stuttered, “it’s just…” he took a deep breath. “I guess that just means I’ll have to ask you out on a date.” 

Nico blinked twice before a stupid grin emerged on his face. He immediately ducked his head to hide it, but it was too late. Will had seen it all. Nico bit his lip, struggling to contain himself, as he stirred his cauldron. 

“I guess that means I’ll have to say yes.” 

**Author's Note:**

> ah thanks for reading! this was a struggle to write bc i really wanted to finish it in one day, and i did! but if the pacing seems off or whatever... thats why lmao 
> 
> keep up with my writing on my tumblr @ proffessorrjlupin.tumblr.com


End file.
